


straight for a day

by n_ilsen



Category: Aphmau - Mystreet, aphmau - Fandom
Genre: Confusion, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, Eating Disorders, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, I suck at tagging, Im sorry if this is bad, M/M, Minecraft MyStreet - Aphmau, Miscommunication, Mommy Issues, Secret Relationship, Self-Indulgent, Teasing, and eating issues, but hes dating travis, but not really, but not too much Angst, havent been in the fandom in years, idk zanes mom thinks hes dating aph, ill add more tags later maybe, my mommy issues are showing, set in mystreet, so like maybe a bit of an, this is better than it sounds i promise, this is legit only for me bc i cant stop thinking about it, travis is a bit manipulative? but like not really, zane cuts his hair, zane has sleeping issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:00:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26153053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/n_ilsen/pseuds/n_ilsen
Summary: Zane's mom sees that Aphmau posted a picture of her and Zane looking like a couple on her Instagram and comes over immediately, wanting to take them out to celebrate. The only issue is, Zane is gay and has a secret boyfriend.
Relationships: Aphmau/Aaron Lycan (background), Zane Ro'Meave/Travis Valkrum
Comments: 11
Kudos: 47





	1. cupcakes

**Author's Note:**

> i havent been in this fandom in ages but i've written and rewritten this fanfiction so many times that I thought maybe I should share it. this proabably should go on wattpad but oh well here we go. hope yall enjoy :) this is my first time ever posting anything so this is exciting haha anyway happy reading!

I woke with a chill and a beating heart. I tried to steady my breath and focus on something other than my busy thoughts. It was to no good, however, when I realized that I forgot to take my meds before bed. The bottle of sleeping pills sat menacingly on my nightstand, as though it knew what I’d gotten myself into. 

It was nearly three now, and if I took the pills, I would sleep all day. Instead, I stood, and put some clothes on. I had no idea what I would do from now until I had to go to work, but I’m sure I would figure it out as I went. 

When I got downstairs, I contemplated eating before deciding that was a horrible idea and moving into the living room. I tried to distract myself with TV but found my mind wandering. I wondered what my boyfriend was up to, suddenly, and hoped he was asleep. 

I found myself drifting off at about 5. I knew I wouldn’t be able to get a decent amount of sleep if I tried now, maybe an hour, before I woke up again. I knew I should probably do something productive while I had the extra time, but came up blank when I tried to come up with an idea. I thought about texting Travis, like I usually did when I was bored, but realized that he must be asleep now. 

I sent him a “you up?” just in case. When I didn’t get an immediate reply, I let out a small breath in relief. He had a good sleeping schedule, but I was still pleased when he was asleep when he should be. 

I was starting to drift again when my phone buzzed. 

“not for long” was the response. “wanna come over?”

“yeah be right there”. I stood, grabbing my things and heading out. It was a short walk to his house, but I knew I would have to sneak in lest I wanted everyone to know I was there. Secret relationships weren’t always so easy, it seemed. 

I hid my shoes under everyone else’s in case anyone woke up before me. I crept down the stairs as quietly as I could and slipped into Travis’s bedroom, closing the door behind me. 

“Hey,” he said sleepily. “You should be asleep.” 

“Forgot to take my pills,” I told him, removing my sweater and crawling in next to him. He pulled me on to his chest and hummed happily, closing his eyes again. “Thanks for letting me come over.”

“Mhm,” he mumbled and I decided I better let him sleep. My fingers danced across his arm as he slipped into unconsciousness. 

I tried to fall asleep, but when his alarm went off at 7, I was still wide awake. I shut it off as he rolled over grumpily, hiding his face in my neck instead of getting up. I laughed softly as his breath tickled my throat. 

“Cmon, time to get up,” I told him, going to sit up. He put an arm over my chest, easily holding me down. I hated how much stronger he was than me sometimes. Sometimes. 

“Nah, I don’t need to go to work,” he mumbled. 

“Well I need to leave. Everyone will be getting up soon,” I tried to reason, only for him to make unhappy noises. His arm eventually slips back to his side and I stand, picking up my sweater. I made sure he was out of bed before leaving, wishing him a good day at work. I didn’t run into anyone on my way back home. 

I got ready for work, trying to blink away my tiredness. I went to work tired way too often. 

Work went by in a blur. I barely registered what happened before it was finished and I was driving home. I wondered how Travis’s day went and if I could see him. I was almost home when my phone rang. 

“Hello?” I asked once I answered in through my car. Aphmau’s voice immediately came through. 

“We’re baking cupcakes, wanna come over and help?” she asked. Before I could say anything, she started speaking again. “See you soon!” She hung up. 

Looks like I’m going to Aph’s then. 

I park in my driveway before stumbling inside. I change quickly before walking over to Aph’s place. When I entered, I immediately heard the ruckus from the kitchen. 

The three girls were in there, Katelyn looking disinterested overall, Kawaii~chan covered in flour, and Aphmau aggressively reading a recipe. I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at the sight. 

“Zane~chan! Come help Kawaii~chan! She doesn’t know what she’s doing,” Kawaii~chan whined. 

By the time we got the cupcakes in the oven (the first batch, that is), the kitchen was a mess and I had been there for almost two hours. We made enough to feed the whole block, which I wasn’t surprised about. They always made way too much. 

We cleaned up a bit, getting bored halfway through, and making our way into the living room. Aphmau put on some cartoons but Kawaii~chan and Katelyn were talking, barely paying attention, and Aphmau was on her phone. I felt a little out of place and wondered if I should leave. 

As though he knew what I was thinking, Travis came strutting in, looking as though he was on a mission. When he spotted me, he looked a little alarmed, but that didn’t stop him from finding his way into the kitchen. 

“Laurence told me you girls were making cupcakes,” he called out. 

“They’re not done yet!” Aphmau cried, as though he was going to wreck them. I watched the kitchen entrance closely, waiting for him to come out. When he did, he was smiling to himself. 

“Can I help decorate?” he asked, sliding onto the couch next to me. His arm was thrown over the back behind me, but I knew he meant nothing by it. Or at least he tried to make it look like he didn’t. 

“If you really want to,” Aphmau said, a little suspicious. “But if your only intention is to do something weird, don’t bother.”

“What do you mean ‘weird’? I’m not that bad!” he complained. “Right, Zaney?”

“Don’t call me that,” I said, even though I found myself laughing. “But no. You’re not that bad.”

“Zane, you’re supposed to be on my side,” Aph whined. I laughed slightly. 

“What’s the worst he could do? Flirt with you a little?” I pointed out. She fell quiet for a moment. 

“I’m more worried about Katelyn,” she admitted. We shot a look over at her but she was too busy with Kawaii~chan to notice. When would Aph realize Katelyn was into KC? 

“I promise I’m only here for the cupcakes,” Travis said in a playful tone. She didn’t seem to believe him. Aph went back to her phone and I found myself being distracted by the fact that he was so close to me. It was odd how I reacted to him, even after being physical with him for months now. The spark was still there, for sure. 

“I should braid your hair,” he told me. I caught Aphmau’s odd glance from the corner of my eye. 

“Do you even know how to braid?” I asked. 

“No. I’m sure I can figure it out though,” he said before sticking both hands in my hair, probably tying it into knots. When the oven dinged a good ten minutes later, everyone stood and crowded into the kitchen and I quickly undid my hair, much to Travis’s dismay. The first batch came out and the next one went in. While they cooled, we started making buttercream for it. 

It was busy in the kitchen, considering there were so many people helping. Well, Katelyn and Travis were mostly watching, but either way there were still a lot of hands working through the recipe. 

I watched Travis as he happily took the offered items to coat a cupcake in icing. He looked a little confused at first but soon went to town, looking so pleased with his work after it was done even though it was definitely not the prettiest. 

“This is amazing,” he told us. “Best thing I’ve ever made.” 

“Okay, Travis,” Katelyn said, sounding a little annoyed. He didn’t seem too bothered, still admiring his artwork. It was amazing, seeing him so happy with himself. He was always so happy. I felt like kissing him, but knew that wouldn’t go over well. 

When we were almost finished decorating them all, Travis sitting on a counter on the opposite side of the kitchen, mostly eating stray icing he found, Aphmau pulled me in for a picture. A little surprised, I smiled after realizing my mask had slipped. She looked very pleased with me, seeing my mouth and looking genuinely happy. I blamed Travis for both. He had a way of getting me to lower my guards. 

We were storing everything and finally cleaning up for good when Travis approached me again. I was a bit out of the way, hands sunk into the sink of dirty dishes. He swiped a thumb across my bottom lip before sticking it into his mouth. 

“You had some icing,” he explained, looking a little smug. I rolled my eyes at him and he reached for a towel, drying off the dishes stacked in the other sink. 

It was almost like a dance, I found. Well, Travis looked as though he was dancing. He moved so gracefully around everyone, looking so alive as he did so. It was like he always felt so alive. So bright. I had no idea how he did it. 

When the kitchen was clean, Travis and I left. He followed me home, a skip in his step at the realization that we were spending more time together. 

“You looked very pretty today,” he told me once we were in my driveway. I shot him a playful sort of look before walking up to my door and unlocking it. When we were both inside, his hands were immediately on me. “I could just devoured you,” he told me, mouthing against my throat. 

“Yeah?” I gasped out, his thigh almost instantly finding a place between mine. “Thought you were too busy - fuck - making a mess to notice me.” I found myself grinding down on him harshly, back resting on my front door. 

“I wasn’t making a mess,” he told me, pulling back to look at my face, looking slightly annoyed. I knew it was for show.

“Right,” I said toothily. He glared at me before pinning my wrists above my head, trying to gain a bit of control. Like he didn’t already have it. 

“Why are you so mean to me?” he whined and I couldn’t help but laugh a little. 

“I’m the only thing keeping Aphmau from slaughtering you. Guess she doesn’t like the thought of you harassing Katelyn.” Suddenly, my phone rang and Travis pulled back a bit, letting me have my hands back to answer it. It was Aphmau. 

“Hey,” I said once I answered. Travis, for some reason, thought it would be a good idea to go back to kissing my neck, nipping under my ear a little. 

“Hey. I have a question.”

“Shoot.” 

“You have such a way with Travis. Like, you are so patient with him I have no idea how you do it.” she said. 

“Oh. Well,” I stumbled for a moment, inhaling sharply at the sudden new intensity of Travis’s movements. His hand gripped at my hip, as though he was trying to convince me to say something nice about him. As if he would repay me if I did. “If you just let him do what he wants it’s not too bad. And I don’t know, his attention is pretty nice.” 

“Oh, so you have a crush on him?” 

“I do not!” Travis bit down on my neck. “I guess I just like the thought of him. And he’s honestly not as back as you’re making him out to be.” 

“Are you okay? You sound a little out of breath.” 

“Yeah. Fine. Must be the speakers,” I laughed out, trying to sound natural. 

“Okay, Zane. Well, I have to go now. Thanks for the chat,” she said before hanging up. I slipped my phone back into my pocket. 

“You’re an asshole,” I declared, rocking my hips against his grip. “You just need attention, don’t you?” 

“Perhaps,” he mumbled, kissing me sloppily. Suddenly, he pulled back completely, smiling at me. “You’re so pretty.”

“Mkay,” I laughed. 

“No! You are! I mean, fuck,” he tried to explain. He reached forward and tucked my hair behind my ear. He had a habit of doing that. “I love looking at you.” 

“You’re the pretty one here, babes,” I said a little dully. His face dropped a bit before he kissed my cheek. 

“Have you ever thought about cutting your hair?” he asked innocently. 

“Is that what all of this is about?” I questioned, a little taken aback. He’d never really talked about it before, but from the amount of time he pushed the hair out of my face, I knew he would rather I show off. 

“Maybe,” he said a little cheekily. “But I was just wondering. Don’t do it for me.”

“I have, actually. Was thinking it was getting a little old,” I admitted. Ever since I started dating him, my confidence has skyrocketed. As much as I hated the fact that I couldn’t see out of my one eye, I thought that maybe I would look less like a child if I cut it off. 

“Really?” he asked excitedly. 

“Well, sure. Maybe it’ll make me look less like a kid.” He nodded happily. 

“Then I’d get to see you all the time,” he exclaimed, looking as pleased as he did after he dressed a cupcake up and proceeded to eat it enthusiastically. 

“As fun as this talk is, you started something so either finish or leave,” I threatened and he immediately rushed forward, hand undoing my belt hastily.


	2. going to the mall + to a diner

The next morning, I was surprised when I checked my phone. Notification after notification buzzed across my phone. Most of them were from Garroth. 

I tried to skim through all the texts but a call came through before I got very far. Garroth. 

“Yeah?” I asked a little annoyed, still half asleep. I hated the feeling of waking up when my pills were wearing off, it left me in a half asleep daze and I didn’t really know what exactly was happening. 

“So Aphmau posted a picture of you and her and you looked really happy so now mummy thinks that you two are dating,” Garroth breathes out, sounding a bit scared. “She called you but you didn’t answer so she called me and I didn’t really have the heart to tell her that you two weren’t dating so now she’s on her way over and we have to fake it.” 

“Can’t we just tell her the truth?” I asked groggily, laying back down in bed and rubbing my eyes. “This is my only day off.” 

“Nope we have to.”

“What the hell, Garroth. Just man up and tell her. I don’t want to put up with this,” I whined, finally standing. I was a little wobbly but managed to stay upright and pick something out to wear for the day. 

“I can’t!” he cried. “We have to fake it! You’re good at faking things. You faked being happy for years.” 

“Wow, okay,” I found myself muttering. “Not very nice.” 

“You can’t tell me I’m wrong.”

“What does Aphmau say to all of this?” 

“She doesn’t want to disappoint mummy either so she agreed after I cried to her about it. You know how close they were when we were younger. It was like she was our sister,” Garroth reminisced. 

“Yeah, don’t you think it’ll be a bit awkward pretending to date someone who is practically my sister?” I complained. 

“I’m sure you’ll manage. We’re meeting at my house, see you soon,” he said before hanging up. I sighed deeply, trying to figure out how to get out of this, before slipping into a hoodie and jeans, readying myself for a long day. At least I slept decently. 

When I got to Garroth’s house, everything was a bit busy. Laurence and Garroth appeared to be planning, Dante was looking tired, sipping coffee on the couch and Travis, well, I wasn’t sure where he was. He sent me a goodmorning text that I realized I hadn’t responded to yet so he knew I was awake. 

“I’m in your house 😎” I texted him. “didn’t even need to sneak in.” 

“what are you doing here?” he asked and I nearly laughed at how accusing it sounded. 

“smth about me dating Aphmau now? idk c'mere and ask Garroth about it” I told him. Soon enough, he was upstairs, showered and dressed. He shot me a wink before strutting over Garroth, asking to be filled in. 

“What’s it feel like to have a girlfriend?” he asked me once he finished his conversation. 

“Not great, actually,” I said a little sadly. He sent me a look of pity and I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure I’ll be fine.” 

“Have you eaten yet?” he asked, quickly taking my mind off of the current endeavour. 

“What do you think?” I joked and he looked at me sadly again. He dragged me into the kitchen and I watched him pull together breakfast for the both of us. He even made me tea. 

God, I loved him. 

We ate in the kitchen, trying to avoid everyone else. I tried not to look at him too much and make it obvious that I was mildly obsessed with him, but I couldn’t help it. 

When we finished, he took my mask and tucked it into his pocket. I gave him an odd look and he beamed at me. 

“You look so pretty without it,” he told me and I found it hard to disagree. He was looking at me as though I was his entire world and I didn’t have the heart to tell him I thought differently. 

Aphmau showed up soon after, Aaron quick to follow. He looked a little disturbed by the whole situation. They had just started dating and were beginning to slip into something a bit more serious and I knew this probably wouldn’t help with that. I hoped I wouldn’t throw off their plan too much. I glanced awkwardly at Travis and wondered if this would cause any problems with him. He was the jealous type, after all. 

Laurence was apparently very knowledgeable in relationships and was quick to tell us everything we needed to know and do. He made it seem so simple, yet I was still terrified of it all. I didn’t even want to hold her hand, let alone (possibly) kiss her. Especially knowing that my boyfriend would be watching the entire time. 

After Laurence seemed satisfied with his rant, we split off and waited for my mom to show up. I wandered back to Travis’s side, feeling a lot shitter than I had when I first woke up this morning. Before I knew about all of this. 

“This sucks. I feel horrible and I look horrible and I don’t want to be here,” I complained. 

“Hey, no,” Travis warned. “You always look good. Shut up.” I mumbled unhappily and he looped an arm over my shoulder comfortingly. I was glad no one was looking our way. “Maybe we can fix how you’re feeling.”

“How are we going to do that?” I couldn’t say I was surprised when he pulled out a hair tie and gave me a pleading look. I took it from him, feeling a little hesitant, before pulling my hair back into a bun. He smiled so brightly at me afterwards that I realized that this was actually not a horrible idea. How could I be upset when he was looking so happy because of something I did?

“You’re so pretty like that,” he cooed. “Oh, you should do this all the time. You’re so handsome.” 

“Sometimes I wonder if you only like me because I look nice,” I laughed. He frowned a little, crossing his arms over his chest. I got a little too distracted when I looked down and saw the way they flexed when he did that. 

“Sometimes I wonder the same thing. My eyes are up here, buddy.” He sounded so commanding that my eyes immediately snapped up. He had a smile that he apparently couldn’t wipe off his face when I looked at him. “Oh, my god, you thought I was serious,” he laughed. 

“Oh shush,” I pouted. “I’m not used to that tone when we’re not, you know,” I trailed off. He smirked and his eyes darkened a bit, but I looked away before I did something I would regret. 

I was pulled away from the conversation when I heard a knock on the door. Everyone froze and quieted, watching as Garroth made his way over, looking a little frightened. When he opened the door, there was an excited squeal that I knew only my mother could produce. 

“Wish me luck,” I mumbled unjoyously to Travis before putting on my best face. As soon as she was done with my brother, she greeted me, making happy cooing noises and telling me how much she missed me. How proud she was that I found a girlfriend. It made my stomach curl in disgust that the thought of me dating someone was such an accomplishment to her. Has my life really been that disappointing to her?

When she pulled me into a hug, I knew I was stiff, but that was characteristic for me, so I didn’t worry too much about it. She didn’t look upset when she pulled back, anyway. She scurried off to see Aphmau. 

“I hate this,” I mumbled to Travis once she was gone. 

“Yeah, me too,” he said back. I shot him a sad look. He was glaring harshly in Aphmau’s direction and I suddenly worried that maybe he wouldn’t be able to go through with this. He has always been a bit protective of me. 

Garroth sent me a thumbs up from across the room when I looked over at him and I was surprisingly encouraged by it. I took in a few deep breaths before putting my best face on again, ready to put up with whatever the hell my mom throws at me. 

She said she wanted to go to the mall. It didn’t exactly surprise me, seeing as she usually liked going places to waste money. She said something about getting Aph a dress, too, which I was a little worried about. 

On the way up, she crammed me and Aph into her car and put on Beyoncé, looking quite pleased with herself. Maybe this has been something she’s been waiting to do for a while. I tried not to think about it too hard. I knew it would only make me upset. 

When we got to the mall, everyone else was there. I knew I had to stay with Aphmau, but my eyes searched for Travis anyway. He shot me a comforting smile when I saw him. 

It wasn’t long before my mom dragged Aphmau into a dress shop, telling me to go away so it would be a surprise. I finally let out a breath, feeling more relaxed than I had all day. 

“How’s it going?” Travis asked, immediately by my side. “You look like you’re doing pretty good.”

“Haven’t had to say much yet. Just hold her hand. It’s really small,” I found myself mumbling. “It’s weird.”

“Small?” he wheezed. “Oh, you poor thing.” 

“Don’t mock me. I’m not used to it,” I glared up at him. He smiled, a little smugly, back at me. We found ourselves wandering after that. Everyone had mostly spread out, trying to keep busy until we left. 

When my mom found me again, Aph was in a pretty purple dress. It cut off by her knees in the front but was longer in the back and I wondered offhandedly if there was a name for that. 

“Isn’t she pretty?” my mom cooed. Travis still stood next to me but he had stiffened significantly since they had shown up. 

“Absolutely,” I found myself saying, forcing some sort of emotion into my voice. From the pleased look on both of their faces, I knew I did a good enough job. 

“Oh, look, a shoe sale,” Travis said and both girls' ears perked up. My mom turned to Aph before dragging her away in the direction of the sign displaying 50% off all shoes. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately. He looked agitated. 

“This was a bad idea,” he claimed, sounding borderline furious. 

“I just said she was pretty,” I tried to point out. He was barely listening to me. “Look, how can I make it up to you?” That seemed to catch his attention. 

“Make it up to me?” he asked happily. He thought about it for a moment, his eyes sparkling for a few seconds before readjusting on me. “Can it be a sex thing?” 

“If you want it to be,” I laughed out. His eyes went unfocused and happy for a minute. 

“I’ll tell you when we get home, then. Probably not best to talk about in public.” 

“Okay, Travis,” I said, eyes rolling playfully. Suddenly, the girls came back, looking a little defeated. Their hands were empty. 

“How does lunch sound?” she asked us, returning to her upbeat nature. “My treat.” 

“I’ll let everyone know,” Travis said, sounding a little dull, before taking out his phone and sending something to the group chat. 

My mom dragged me and Aphmau to her car again, trying to talk us into having a conversation. It wasn’t going so well. Neither of us really knew what to say, we didn’t have a concrete plan on what our relationship was going to be. I tried to fake it the best I could until we got to the little diner a few minutes away. 

When we pulled up, me and Aph were forced next to each other again at the table, but Travis was nearly right across from me so it wasn’t too bad. Nice view, at least. 

By the time we ordered, my mom was already gushing to anyone who listened about how cute me and Aphmau were together. I tried to give Travis a reassuring look, but overall the annoyed look on his face never left. I hoped we would be able to make it through the night. 

“You’re doing good,” Aphmau whispered to me. I sent her a shy sort of smile. 

“You too. Sorry we have to go through this, Garroth is a coward,” I mumbled. I felt Travis’s eyes on me. 

“No big deal,” she laughed. “I like spending time with everyone anyway.” 

“Yeah, we haven’t done something as a group like this in a while,” I found myself saying. I looked around at everyone, and even though I knew most of the people didn’t really like me, it was nice having everyone together, even just for Aphmau’s sake. She was so happy when everyone wanted to spend time together. It didn’t happen often enough anymore. 

When the food came, things quieted a bit. My mom stopped gushing and asking us questions, anyway, which I appreciated. I tried to focus on the positives or else I knew I would drown in the negatives. 

After we ate, we stuck around for a good 30 minutes afterwards, talking and moving around. My mom looked very happy where she was, talking to Garroth and Laurence about this and that. I found myself getting distracted by Travis’s eyes. They were shimmering in amusement as he talked to Dante, his teeth flashing every time he talked or laughed. They always seemed to light up a room. 

“Zane?” I heard beside me and I looked over to see Aphmau laughing behind her hand. “Why are you giving Travis that look?”

“What look?” I asked defensively. 

“That loving look,” she exclaimed. “I’ve never seen it on you before. Are you sure someone doesn’t have a crush?”

“What?” I yelped defensively. “Absolutely not.” 

“Mhmm,” she hummed lightheartedly. “Sucks that he likes Katelyn so much, though. Also I have no idea if he likes guys or not.”

“Aph, I don’t like him,” I insisted, although she didn’t look very convinced. 

“Wait, is that how you can put up with him so easily? I always find myself getting annoyed with him, even though I don’t want to. You always manage, though,” she pondered, mostly to herself. 

“Aph,” I whined, a little dejected. 

“But then again, he does seem to enjoy your presence enough. Maybe you do have a chance,” she decided, as though she could change how Travis felt about me. Luckily enough, he seemed to like me. Enough to date me, at least. And make me tea the way I liked it. And pick dandelions to put behind my ear. And let me come over in the dead of night, even just to sleep next to him. 

“He’s not my type.”


	3. breakfast

My mom forced me and Aphmau, once again, to go in her car. I longed to be in the passenger seat of Travis’s truck, to switch places with Dante, but I knew there was no way of getting out of this. 

Unsurprisingly, my mom began questioning us about specifics. She asked about our first date, how we started dating, why we don’t live together, that sort of thing. We did our best to make something coherent up, but I ended up just mostly talking about what I do with Travis. I’m assuming Aph was pretending it was Aaron she was talking about, too. We pulled up to Aphmau’s house, slipping out and entering. Almost everyone was already here and I almost felt claustrophobic with the lack of open space. 

When I caught Travis’s eye, he sent me a worried look, and I realized that I let my mask fall. I hoped no one else noticed my stressed expression. 

My mom insisted on a tour, wanting to look at seemingly everything, so it gave me a chance to touch base with my boyfriend. 

“How are you holding up?” he asked once I made my way over to him. I gave him a bit of a sour look. 

“Wish I could go home.”

“Oh, right! You still owe me. That means tonight’s gonna be fun. Well, for me, at least,” he said in the most casual way, like he wasn’t talking about sex. 

“It’s no fun if you’re the only one who likes it,” I whined pathetically, giving him the best ‘pity me’ look. 

“Well, maybe if you’re good, I’ll be nice to you,” he hummed thoughtfully, shooting me a playful wink. I tried not to think too hard about how he could be so easy-going about this while anytime sex was brought up I got all blushy and awkward, like right now. 

When my mom and Aphmau came back, I was still trying to recover. I shot a glare at Travis, who smiled innocently. This seemed to be the time that my mom realized I had a life outside of Aph and struck up a conversation about work with me. Travis stayed, but I could tell he wasn’t listening. 

Things went pretty smoothly for the next hour or so. I felt a little out of place because it’s not exactly like anyone really wanted to be here. I knew everyone had something better to do right now, seeing as Saturday was usually busy for everyone. Well, usually busy for me anyway. 

When I’m finally allowed to leave, I dragged Travis back to my house, making sure no one noticed. They were all busy trying to get their life back on course, I assumed. 

“Excited, are we?” he laughed once I closed the front door behind me. I let out a deep sigh, leaning against the wall next to me. 

“I have something I need to do first.”

When we got back to my house, it was nearly dinner. I hadn’t thought getting a haircut would be so life changing, but here we are. I found myself twirling my short hair, slightly confused. It was so odd not having something covering my face. I didn’t know if I liked it or not yet. 

“You look so pretty,” Travis told me, as though he knew what I was thinking. He was sorting through the fridge, trying to find something for us to eat. I thought about sitting on the counter, but I knew I would get in the way.

“You look pretty,” I shot back like an insult. He laughed, taking a step forward to kiss me soundly on the lips. I tried not to smile as he did so. He went back to sorting through my kitchen soon after, but I could still feel the heat of his lips on mine for minutes afterwards. 

When we finished dinner, I was confused when he suggested a movie. I had expected him to call in his favour by now, so when the movie clicked on, I sat beside him, readying myself for when he made his move. 

“What’s wrong?” he laughed half way through the film after I sighed and shifted for the nth number of times. 

“Nothing,” I said unconvincingly. He rolled his eyes before throwing an arm around my shoulders, pulling me to lean against his side comfortably. Had he misled me in the mall? Had this been his intention the whole time?

When it got a bit too late to justify being awake, we decided to call it a night. Finally, he would do what he promised. Well, he’d do something other than laugh and coo at my impatience, anyway. 

When he didn’t stop me before I changed into something to sleep in and took my pills, I gave him an odd look. He only smiled innocently at me, insisting that I climb into bed with him. Instead of, I don’t know, pinning me down or any other sexual act, he pulled me so I laid on top of his chest. Soon after, he wished me a good sleep and clocked out. 

When I woke up, Travis was still asleep so I took a few minutes to adjust to reality. I tried not to wake him as I sat up to get dressed, but he blinked his eyes open as soon as I slipped out from under his arm. 

“Good morning,” he mumbled sleepily as I pulled a sweater out of my closest, slipping it over my head. I was still a bit groggy because of the meds but things were starting to come through a bit clearer the longer I was awake. 

“So, when are you going to rail me in a vampire costume?” I asked casually as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. 

“Why would I do that?” he mumbled, shooting me an odd look. “I don’t have a thing for vampires. Unless that’s something you’re into, then I’m willing to try.” 

“Travis, no,” I laughed. “When are you going to, you know,” I trailed off, wondering what the best way to word it was. 

“Make sweet, sweet love to you?” he finished, leaning forward, attempting to look seductive. His hair was in his eyes, making him look more soft than anything else. 

“Sure.” I dressed fully, wondering what he was going to wear. Would he put yesterday’s clothes back on and go home? Would that look too suspicious?

“I was thinking this morning but I’m tired and just want to sleep so maybe tonight,” he mumbled, laying back down. It was odd for him to put off sex, I don’t think I’ve seen him ever pass up the offer. Maybe this was some sort of mind game.

“Are you going home, then?” I asked, not thinking too hard about what could be wrong. Something had to be wrong, right?

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. The guys will most likely still be sleeping still.” I was a Sunday and, surprisingly enough, most people got weekends off. Or got to sleep in. What a concept. 

“Okay. I’ll see you later then?” He had gotten up and was dressing in his clothes from yesterday. He didn’t look too happy about it. 

“Sure,” he said, still sounding tired, before leaning over and kissing my forehead. “Love you.” He left. 

It was only about 10 minutes later when I got a text from him. 

“so your moms here and she’s making us breakfast” he sent. I sighed, rubbing at my eyes annoyedly. 

“want me to stop by?” I asked him, only for him not to respond for a few minutes. I took that chance to continue getting ready for work. I didn’t have time for this. 

“yes please” was his response. I walked over, making sure I had everything I needed to make a quick get away. I only had about 30 minutes to spare. 

The door was unlocked when I got there so I walked in, knowing that if I knocked it would just bring more attention to my arrival. Just as Travis said, my mom was in the kitchen, making Irene knows what for breakfast. I slipped my shoes off and wandered over to where the boys were standing, all watching her. 

“I didn’t know she spent the night,” I said to Garroth. He only shrugged. 

“I didn’t think she was either until she passed out of our couch. Also, nice hair. Didn’t think you’d ever get it cut.” I was glad he was being so chill with the whole situation. I had expected him to freak out about it. 

It was an awkward few minutes of silence before she was finished. All the boys were ushered to the kitchen table and I decided I best get away now before I’m looped into another family activity. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” my mom asked once I said goodbye. 

“I have to get to work,” I said, trying to sound a little sad about it, like I wish I was spending time with her instead. She stepped forward, brushing a hand through my now short hair and smiling at me gently. I almost felt like a child again, the same one that used to stay up past my bedtime watching movies with her. The one that I would tell my day to, talking about what I learned and who I talked to and what drama was going on. I felt guilty to this day about cutting her off when I got into high school but I knew there was nothing I could do about that now. There was only the present to fix. 

“I’ll come back after work, okay?” I offered, pulling her into a hug, an actual hug. One that I haven’t gotten in years. I didn’t even care that everyone was watching me. 

“See you soon,” she whispered softly in my ear. I pulled back and gave her a rare smile. I left quickly, not wanting to embarrass myself more than I needed to.


End file.
